Friday, August 22, 2008

KJ and her fun challenge have been such an inspiration to me. I have so many cookbooks and magazines but usually reach for the same ones over and over again (Donna Hay, anyone?) :)

I want to use other books, those I haven’t taken out of the shelf for quite some time. Deciding which book to grab was not an easy task; choosing the recipe, on the other hand, was a walk in the park.

Nigella says that if you manage to resist the cake – which I dare you to – you can wrap it in a double layer of foil and leave it for a couple of days; both the flavor and the damp texture will increase. I don’t know about that, since there was no cake left to be wrapped in foil after all. :)
I believe that the only way one could ever know if Nigella is telling the truth is by making two cakes at once. :)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; line the bottom of a 20cm (8-inch) springform pan with parchment paper – I used one with a removable bottom.

Cream together the butter and the sugar until almost white. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a quarter of the flour after each addition. When all the eggs and flour have been incorporated, gently stir in the ground almonds, then the almond extract, lemon zest and juice. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, checking after 50 minutes - you may have to cover the cake loosely with foil after 30 minutes so the top won’t burn.
The cake is ready when the top is firm and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Don’t overbake the cake or it won’t be damp.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes in the pan; then turn it out o a wire rack and leave till cool.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Great combo of flavors. Citrus and almond are terrific together! I love those desserts that get better with time too - as long as Jeremy and visitors are able to leave it be long enough to get better! :)

I love Donna Hay too; I'm lucky in the way that I live in Australia, and can thus be one of the first to purchase a copy once in comes out. But I had a recent bad experience with a pear and gingerbread recipe of hers which makes me doubt her credibility...

But nonetheless..these look beautiful!! It looks so crumbly and moist and so perfect for a midday treat!! Maybe I should switch to Nigella...